Like Christmas wreaths and light decorations, gingerbread houses are a holiday art that can be either really simple and pretty or extravagant, time-consuming and spectacular. Either way, making & decorating a gingerbread house takes patience and ingenuity, especially if you want to enter into a gingerbread competition. For inspiration, here are nineteen creative ideas to help you begin your next gingerbread abode.
The Best Ideas for Gingerbread Houses
1. The Gnome Home
via The Etsy Blog
2. Chimney Smoke Made of Cotton Candy
via Vesper Miniatures
3. Tiny Gingerbread Houses
Chocolate & pink dollhouse via Petit Plat
Nordic style via Mijbil Creatures
4. Made with Sugar Cookie Dough Instead of Gingerbread Dough
via Askanam
5. Gingerbread Beach Shack
via About.com
6. Lighthouse
7. Graham Crackers Instead of Gingerbread – Easy!
via Vanessa Rodriguez Coppola
8. A Picturesque Bakery Selling Cake, Ginger Snaps and Another Tiny Gingerbread House
via The Redhead Baker
9. House of Cards
via Shannon Berry Design
10. Edible Nativity Set
via Mai K. Swapp
11. Swedish Cottage with Boughs of Greenery and a Cinnamon-Stick Woodpile
via Martha Stewart
12. The City of Amsterdam Wrapped Around a Cake
via Martha Stewart
13. Colorful Church with a Bell Tower
via Rick + Vanessa + Bridgette
14. Tree House, Perched in a Rice Krispies Tree
via Martha Stewart
15. Country Home with a Pretzel Picket Fence and a Thatched Roof  Made of Mini-Wheats
via Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive, 365
16. A Whole Village of Bite-Sized Houses, Cut and Assembled from a Gingerbread Sheet Cake
via Martha Stewart
17. Inspired by a Favorite Book, with the Love & Dedication of a True Fan
via A Can of Crafty Curiosities
18. Nestled on the Side of a Mug
via Not Martha
19. If Everything Else Fails:
Do you enjoy making gingerbread houses with your friends and family? Let me know in the comments below!
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